Indy does Puppy Training 101

Ever seen the movie Marley and Me? Remember the scene when they take Marley to puppy training - all the others puppies are sitting there calmly awaiting the next command and Marley, on the other hand, is happily trying to play with everyone while not listening to a single command.....so began our puppy training with Indy!

Dianne and Conner arrived early as this was the first week and we still had some paperwork to fill in - no one there but the dog whisperer, AKA Shane Gerrehy from Diablo K9, and us - almost forgot - also a very large poster of a Golden Retriever - Indy promptly began to growl and bark at the picture - just redirect him suggests Shane - easy for you to say - this guy is over 45 lbs already!! OK - We get situated, dog poster is now not in our view, and in walks a very sweet, although rather large (also in the neighborhood of 45 lbs), 4 month old Labradoodle. She sits quietly on her mat (Indy and his "handlers" can't even seem to locate a mat) and pays attention to her mom. Indy is dying to meet her - yes, almost killing himself trying to lunge over and introduce himself - in the meantime more and more puppies calmly walk in, take their mats and wait for instructions - all the owners are looking at us with that look of - can you not keep your dog under control? - at this point we are thinking individualized classes may be best!

As the class progresses we reinforce sit, down, touch (a new one for me), and begin to learn "let's go" - for those of you dog owners out there, let's go is a favorite of a dog (but maybe not an owner as it is being learned) - picture 6 puppies calmly walking around with their handlers and focused on the handler (and the treats) and Indy - desparately trying to make new friends and seeking better treats from all the neighbors - after I am dripping with sweat trying to "refocus" the dog and thinking this is a better work out than the gym, I asked Shane if there were any "tricks" that would help refocus him - Shane calmly takes the lead, presents his treat, and Indy walks beside him - I guess I am not a dog whisperer!!!

When it came time for "puppy play" we are all reminded that if there is an accident simply hold your dog and the mess will be cleaned up by an available adult. Off to play - (this is Indy's favorite part) - he is a great sport, finds the Labradoodle who also likes to play, and promptly takes center stage. Some of the puppies hover from the outside looking in and others look to their owners with the quissical "really?" look. Of course, play and Indy mean only one thing - poop is coming....unfortunately for us poop came while we were still in the play session - love cleaning that up with paper towel!

While we made it through day 1 with only 5 more to go - we did practice this morning with our extra special treats and that was more of a success - wish us luck for week 2 (PS - I am wearing work out clothes next week!)